October 2010

Thursday 21 October

It's my first show of the season, my local specialist Fife show, the North West Fife Fancy Canary Club show at Rainford. There are in excess of 660 birds entered so the competition should be good with fanciers from all four corners of the UK booked in to attend. I have a team of 16 entered across the range of colours from clears through to blues. It will be the birds first outing and one or two are not quite finished off, with a final light spray yesterday i'll take a final call on Saturday which of the team will go and which won't.

My show team this years consists of around 36 birds, and for my next show, the biggest Fife show in the UK the North of England, I hope to have a team of around 24 birds out. I spent most of last night preparing the show cages for the team, ensuring that they're in good shape to display the birds within them. I know what i've bred is an improvement on last year, however i never tend to approach the shows too positively as so much can happen along the way!.

I will as always post the full result, and some photos from the show on the site on my return on sunday night.

Monday 25 October

Well sadly the need to sleep got the better of me - after a long old day I was too tired to get on the pc last night so a little later than planned updating the site. First show of the season done and first couple of specials in the bag, to say I'm thrilled would be an understatement. I benched 16 birds at the North West specialist show and was delighted to win 3rd best champion in show and best champion clear with a clear yellow hen, with an entry of 74 champion clears from all over the UK i was understandabley delighted. Perhaps as pleasing was the performance of the hens brother who finished 2nd in a class of 21 champion clear yellow cocks. The variegated team performed well too, one of the great benefits of stewarding at a show is your able to see your birds being judged and although neither of my variegated yellow cocks got in the cards both were still on the judges table as he was making his final selection for the last 7 in a strong class of 24 champion birds.

My variegated yellow hen was in the same position, and whilst its disappointing not to card with a bird i'm thrilled that 12 of the 16 birds i benched were in the first seven. My variegated buff hen was in first place, until she lifted her wings and refused to lie them flat, she ended up fourth in a class of 22. My dark line once again did well, my two heavily variegated yellow cocks were 3rd and 4th in a class of 29, my heavily variegated buff hen 3rd in a class of 24 and one of my two self green yellow hens 3rd in a class of 24, her half brother a self green yellow cock was 4th in a class of 25, my clear white cock 2nd and my self blue hen beat 10 others to win her class.

It's three weeks until my next show now, the North of England, and there are some more birds coming through nicely, i hope to be able to show a couple more clear birds, several more darks and a couple more white ground. This is the biggest fife show anywhere in the world with class sizes in excess of 60 in the first 16 classes not unusual, therefore anything in the cards is a massive achievement. As one of my early mentors, the late Pat Fenlon, once said to me - it's more important to see what's behind you than what's in front, and never is that more apt than at this show after all it's a far greater achievment to have a 7th in a class of 67 than first in a class of 7!.